Chelsea down but reach the knockout stage

Chelsea last night qualified for the knockout stages thanks to their superior head-to-head record with Werder Bremen but there will be little celebration for Jose Mourinho and his players. They were not only beaten and below their best but suffered injury scares, with Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack forced off four days before their crucial game at Manchester United.

Mourinho said afterwards that he expects both players to be fit to face the Premiership leaders but he could not be categorical. Drogba hurt an ankle and was being treated when he was substituted with just over half an hour left. "Nothing serious," Mourinho insisted, "and normally he will be ready for Sunday."

Not long after the striker's exit, Ballack went off with a large gash in his calf but all the same Mourinho was optimistic. "I think it's nothing special. It is just pain because a player [Pierre Wome] put some studs on his muscle." Ballack himself said: "Hopefully I will be OK for Sunday."

The last time Mourinho took his team to Old Trafford was after their previous Champions League away defeat, at Real Betis, and he will hope this was not an omen. Chelsea had the chances to at least draw this match and did not deserve to be beaten, but they were not at their most creative or slick, giving away possession with unusual regularity.

If they were twice wasteful in the first half, when John Obi Mikel and Joe Cole had good chances, it took two Tim Wiese saves to deny them after the interval once they finally regained their menace, in the last 25 minutes.

Chelsea can guarantee top spot by winning at home to Levski Sofia in a fortnight. They will be without their captain John Terry, though, because the central defender is suspended after being booked for throwing the ball away.

Mourinho's team were increasingly dominant in terms of possession and territory in the second half, with Bremen rarely looking like adding to their lead, but it came without great conviction for the most part as Bremen defended soundly. The introduction of Andriy Shevchenko and Arjen Robben helped to lift the team but Shevchenko again looked short of pace. He appeared to have got the better of Bremen's defence once but was caught as he tried to sprint clear. Mourinho had given the impression on the eve of the game that Shevchenko would start but Mikel was included instead.

Asked what effect defeat would have on Sunday's game, Mourinho said: "Nothing. You are never happy with a defeat but it leaves us in the second stage of the competition. In this very difficult group, to be in the next round and comfortable in the last game is an achievement. Sunday is a different competition, a marathon, 38 matches. It's a match we very much want to play. It's a pity it's not tomorrow and we have to wait until Sunday."

It seems highly unlikely Joe Cole will be used in a front two as he was here, an experiment which was not a success overall, even if he had his moments. Just as Mourinho's tinkering with the front line at Real Betis did not help, the same was true here. Initially Cole was too eager to run on to passes over the top but he improved once he went wider and deeper for possession. By that stage Chelsea had fallen behind, and deservedly. Bremen began brightly, with Diego lively behind the front two and their full-backs causing problems by pushing forward. Diego had a shot saved and set up a chance for Hugo Almeida before Bremen went ahead.

A Torsten Frings corner picked out an unmarked Per Mertesacker and the central defender, who had threatened from a free-kick less than a minute earlier, headed powerfully past Carlo Cudicini. Mourinho thought the initial free-kick should not have been given.

Chelsea ought to have equalised within 10 minutes when Mikel nodded over under no pressure. Joe Cole's cross enabled the disappointing Ballack to draw a save from Wiese and then Cole scuffed a shot after being set up by Mikel. Too often, moves broke down. Mourinho reflected that the suspended Frank Lampard had been missed. "Lampard affects the performance of everyone else in midfield."

When Chelsea menaced again, Shevchenko had a low free-kick saved by Wiese, who then got down to deny Cole. Michael Essien shot wide and so Chelsea suffered a second consecutive away defeat, after losing at Tottenham, and will need to perform better at Old Trafford.